The U.S. House passed a bill last week that would cut 40 billion over the next ten years for the program.

It is estimated it would force 3.8 million off of the program nation wide.

Juan Carlos Ordonez with the Oregon Center for Public Poloicy says the need for this program is greater than ever

"At a national level, we need to protect the program to meet the needs of the SNAP program.  But beyond that, we need a robust job programs that puts people back to work.  A lot of the problems with poverty are a direct result of the unemployment levels."

17 percent of Oregonians are living in poverty according to the latest census figures.

During the recession, 14 percent were living in poverty, so the numbers are going up, not down during the recovery.